Have you ever watched your toddler bang a drum, shake a shaker or play the same note on a xylophone again and again and thought: “They're just making noise!”? According to early childhood music researcher Susan Young, there is often much more happening than we realise. Young's observations show that young children naturally repeat, organise and transform their musical ideas. They may repeat a rhythm, change the speed or volume, move between instruments, or combine their playi